Occupational hazard. That is what Newt calls it. All the cuts and bruises and burns and bite marks and scraps. It was all just occupational hazards. And he didn't care at all. He didn't mind that he always had at least four bandaids on at all times, and he didn't mind that he had more scars littering his body than he could count, and he didn't mind that he had exactly one shirt that was blood/burns/cut free. He didn't care, because in his mind they were all just side effects of doing what he loved. And because of that, Tina also didn't mind. Why would she mind at all, that her fiance was constantly getting hurt? Why would it worry her? It's not like he could die from his job. It's not like he could get eaten alive or bitten in half or poisoned or drowned or lose a limb while she was gone with no one to check up on him until she or Jacob and Queenie came home. But she didn't bring up this worry to him because she knew that he loved his job, adored it. He didn't even think of it as a job. It was just his life, and he happened to earn money from his book which was now a Hogwarts required textbook. Tina liked to brag about that. Newt hardly cared. He was happier that people were learning about his creatures, the ones he loved so much.
“Hi love,” he said one evening. Tina had just come home from work and she was about to call down to Newt when he came bounding up the stairs. He had a rather large bruise forming across his temple and eye. Tina blinked once, then asked.
“Newt, darling, what happened to your face?”
“Oh, uh nothing really. Occupational hazard is all, you know how it is,” he replies breezily. Tina sighs because she does know how it is, or at least she knows Newt and she knows that he really doesn't see it as a big deal.
“Well, besides that, how was your day?” she asks, sitting down on their couch. They share a flat with Queenie and Jacob, and they should be coming home soon from their bakery. Then Queenie will make dinner for them and it is then that she will hear about what happened to her fiance, not from Newt himself but from Queenie who will hear about it in his mind and share it with her later.
“Oh it was good,” he mumbles. She smiles softly at him.
“You can tell me,” she says, gently nudging him with her foot. Newt looks up at her for a moment before his eyes immediately dance around the room. Queenie learned via mindreading once that when Newt was younger, and still now, some people found his ranting annoying, so he learned to close himself off to what he found enjoyable. Tina found his rambling to be adorable and she liked when he was happy. He was still getting used to that idea.
With encouragement from Tina, he launches into an animated lecture about his creatures and the exciting thing he discovered today about one of them and how proud he is of them. His eyes seem to light up as he talks and his voice is filled with so much happiness and love that Tina can't help but smile. This is why she deals with all of his ‘occupational hazards.’ Because she hates seeing her fiance hurt, but she loves seeing him like this.
By the time dinner ends and Queenie comes up to her, ready to tell her what actually happened to Newt, Tina has long since forgotten and she shakes her head, telling her sister that really, she doesn't need to know. Queenie smiles and nods and then the two sisters disappear into their rooms for the night, getting ready to repeat the events all again the next day.
---
Tina comes home from work and drops her bag and coat onto the couch before stretching her arms and back out, counting as her spine pops when she bends it. She takes a deep breath, looking around for Newt. Usually, since he works at home, he likes to be there when she comes home. Sometimes though, oftentimes if Tina is being honest, he runs a little late and comes bounding up the stairs apologizing and telling her he got carried away and lost track of time. To be honest, she doesn't need him to greet her when she comes home, but it is something nice he does that makes her fall even more in love with him.
He isn't there though, so she just smiles and shakes her head and begins to pick her way down the stairs and into his little magical creature oasis. Books and bottles and bags of food line the stairway and she has to be careful not to trip on her way down.
Once she hits the landing one of the baby nifflers comes sniffing by her feet. It squeaks excitedly when it sees her, and begins to climb its way up her body to nestle on her shoulder. Mostly because it loves her and partly because she is wearing very shiny earrings that it does intend to steal. But mostly because it loves her.
“Newt?” she calls out, peeking her head into Newt's messy office. She blinked in surprise when she noticed that his shirt was sitting on the desk, splotches of blood staining the white fabric. Next to it is a thick wrap of bandages and a bottle of disinfectant cream. She purses her lips, worry pooling in her stomach. She knows, in the back of her mind, that Newt is okay. Because he always promises her that if he were to ever actually get seriously hurt he would call her straight away. Of course, that promise is only so comforting when Tina thinks about all the reasons he couldn't call her because he is either dead or unconscious.
“Newt?” she calls again, making her rounds through the habitats.
“Yes, my love?” he finally responds from the rainforest. She walks up to it and he jumps down from a tree to land in front of her. She immediately notices that his right arm is done up in thick bandages from his wrist to his elbow, and that blood is quickly seeping through it.
“I'm sorry, I lost track of time, I didn't realize you were home,” he starts, leaning forward to either hug her or kiss her or show her something interesting. At this point, Tina expects all three in some order or another. But she stops him, putting a hand out to press against his chest. He must have changed shirts because he is wearing an identical one to the one that is sitting on his desk right now, except this one the bloodstains are old.
“What did you do?” she asks. Newt blinks.
“Oh you know, occupational-”
“Occupational hazard, I know, but you're bleeding a lot,” she says. Newt looks down at his arm as if surprised that his sloppy wrapping job didn't do the trick and magically heal him.
“Oh,” he says. Tina sighs, gently taking his good arm and leading him away. “Oh wait, I wasn't done-”
“You can finish later,” she quickly shuts him down. He nods and follows her complacently. He has learned at this point that it is better to just go along with what Tina says because she is either right or she is so stubborn that even if she is wrong she will find a way to be right anyway so it really doesn't matter for Newt because he is losing no matter what.
“So what did you do?” Tina asks if only to make small talk as she leads him back to his office. Newt shrugs next to her, reaching up with his arm to pet the niffler still perched on Tina’s shoulder. He grimaces and tries to hide it but Tina sees it anyway.
“Nothing just got swiped by the erumpent’s horn while trying to get her to exercise, you know how she is,” Newt laughs, running his good hand through his hair. Tina nods, having to think for a moment about what the erumpent is. That is the rhino-looking creature. She smiles, proud of herself. She is still learning all of Newt’s creatures but she thinks she is doing a pretty good job. Newt thinks so too and his heart swells with pride every time she correctly identifies one of his creatures.
By the time Tina and Newt get to his office the bandage is so saturated with blood that it begins to drip down Newt's hand.
“Sit,” Tina instructs. Then she rummages around his cluttered office and pulls out new bandages, disinfectants, and stuff for stitches. Both her and Newt are very good at sewing stitches, Newt because he needs to be for his creatures, Tina because she needs to be for her fiance.
“How was your day?” Newt asks her sweetly as he leans back on his stool pretending not to grimace as Tina unwraps the bandages he put on himself.
“Fine, slow. Today was a paperwork day,” she says. Newt grimaces and this time Tina can’t tell if it is because he is in pain or because he hates the idea of sitting inside doing paperwork so much.
“I'm sorry,” he says and he genuinely means it. Tina shrugs and smiles.
“Part of the job,” she says. Newt nods, his eyes going down to his arm as Tina finally takes off the bloody bandages. She lets them drop to the floor with a wet thwap.
Tina sighs as she looks at the gash. It is long and deep and bleeding profusely.
“Newt, you knew this needed stitches, why didn't you do that?” she asks. Newt shrugs, not meeting her eyes.
“I was running behind and I didn't have the time-”
“The time to take care of yourself?” Tina cuts him off. His eyes flit to hers for a second before moving away again and he shuffles his feet awkwardly in the chair, his eyes screwing shut for a second as Tina threads the first stitch through.
“I'm sorry,” he mumbles. Tina sighs again and rolls her eyes.
“Newt, I love you, and I just want to know that when I am at work you are safe,”
“I want to know the same thing,” Newt whispers, his eyes tracing the trim around the ceiling. Tina blinks, surprised. She hadn’t thought about that. But her job is pretty dangerous.
“Oh,” she whispers, not sure what else to say. Newt doesn't say anything else either and they fall into a semi-awkward silence broken only by the occasional hiss of pain from Newt as Tina cleans up his wound.
“Okay all done,” she finally says, getting up to clean her hands at the sink.
“Thank you,” Newt says mildly, getting up from his stool and walking out of the door. He waits outside for her to finish up and then they walk up the stairs together. Newt slowly slips his hand into hers and she squeezes it, smiling to herself. His words are still weighing heavily on her though and she stops him right before he opens the door to the upstairs flat. She can hear Jacob and Queenie moving around inside and she wants to talk to Newt alone about this.
“Do you really worry a lot? When I’m at work?” she asks. Newt blinks at her, making eye contact in his surprise.
“Well, yes?” he says but it comes out as more of a question.
“I’m- I’m sorry. I didn't realize,” she says softly. Newt shrugs again.
“Don't be sorry. I think it's just natural, you worry about people you love,” he reasons. Tina smiles.
“I guess you’re right. If it makes you feel better, I promise to be careful at work,” she says. Newt smiles.
“I promise too,” he says and Tina knows he means it.
“And,” she prods. Newt smiles again.
“And I promise to take care of myself when I do get hurt,” he mumbles. Tina nods, satisfied, and kisses his cheek.
“I love you,” she tells him. He grins.
“I love you too,” and Tina will still worry about Newt and Newt will still worry about Tina, because that is just how love works, it makes people worry. But both feel slightly better that the other promised to be careful, and they both feel slightly better knowing that they are not alone in their worry.
Suddenly the door to the stairwell is thrown open. Jacob begins to shout their names and stops when he sees that they are right there.
“Oh, sorry guys, didn't see you there,” he says, laughing to himself. He looks at the two, then at Newt's arm.
“Let me guess,” he starts.
“Occupational hazard,” the wizards say in unison. Jacob nods and grins.
“Occupational hazard,”